Canadians' Big Night Is Tonight

2002 Winter Olympics - Salt Lake City

Skaters Jamie Sale And David Pelletier Won't Have To Wait Until Thursday For Medals.

February 17, 2002|By Helene Elliott, Olympics Bureau

SALT LAKE CITY -- David Pelletier wants to get back to a normal life. That's not likely to happen for a while, certainly not tonight.

Pelletier and partner Jamie Sale will get their duplicate pairs figure-skating gold medals at the Salt Lake Ice Center after the original dance phase in ice dancing. The International Olympic Committee voted to award them the medals after French judge Marie-Reine Le Gougne was found to have acted improperly Monday night when Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze of Russia finished first.

Sale and Pelletier are only beginning to consider the many endorsements offered. There's talk of a made-for-television movie, booking their own skating tour, a skate-off against the Russian pair and other commercial opportunities.

First, though, they'll get their medals tonight instead of Thursday, as originally scheduled. Sikharulidze said he wanted to attend.

"If there is a ceremony and the Canadian flag is raised, the Russian flag should be raised, and the Russian anthem should be played," Sikharulidze said.

Sale and Pelletier resent being pitted against the Russians.

"All I want is my life to be normal, but I'm not stupid and naive enough to think that will happen soon," Pelletier said.